Monday, April 22, 2013

DENG ADEL: Australia's Hidden Gem Ready to Emerge!!!

Chances are you don't know who Deng Adel is yet, but that could change real soon. Like so many mystery hooper's before him, Adel's name first started to make waves on basketball chat forums a couple weeks ago, but in this case there might actually be some substance to the hype.Some outstanding young prospects have emerged from Australia over the past few years & Prospect-Central has been right there to document them all. Thon Maker, Ben Simmons, & Dante Exum are just a few players PC was ahead of the curve on, and now it might be time for another Aussie to make a name for himself.I tracked down Deng Adel via social media to see if I could learn more about this intriguing hooper, and I found out he's not just an excellent basketball player, he's an intelligent, hard working, and extremely humble young man.Born February 1st, 1996, Adel moved to Australia from Sudan when he was 8, which ironically is the same path of freshman sensation Thon Maker. Unlike Maker however, Adel plans to finish high school in Australia before he ventures to the States for college.While he's on the radar of literally no college programs at the moment, believe me when I say it's only a matter of time before that changes. In my opinion, Deng Adel is indeed a high-major D1 recruit.

Deng Adel currently attends Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia, and the 17-year old would probably be a Top 100 player in the Class of 2015 if he lived in the United States. That may sound like high praise, but Adel's game speaks for itself.At 6-foot-7, 185 pounds, Adel has the size of a forward and the skills of a guard. As he stated to me in our conversation, he definitely needs to get stronger, but he's attending weight training sessions three times a week to make sure that becomes a reality. He does have a 33-inch vertical leap & 6-foot-10 wingspan though, and those are some pretty solid measurable's to say the least.There's a lot to like about Deng's game. He excels in transition, attacks the basket with either hand, finishes aggressively above the rim, and has a jump shot that keeps defenders honest. His jumper might actually be his trademark also. He's got a really nice mid-range game, strokes the 3-ball with ease, and can catch fire in a hurry. Due to his length and shooting ability, Deng says the player he's been compared to the most is Kevin Durant.Deng might not be as polished on defense that he is on offense, but he says he's really trying to focus on that area of his game, in particularly his shot blocking. He's also trying to tighten up his handles, as well as work on his body control when attacking the basket off the bounce. For a sophomore in high school though, Deng Adel's a pretty impressive basketball player.

The level of competition in Australia obviously can't compare to the United States, but Deng Adel can only play the opponents in front of him, and that's exactly what he's been doing. Adel's been absolutely sensational playing for the Waverley Falcons of the 18U Victorian leagues, averaging 27.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, and 4.7 apg. He's also shooting over 50% from the field, including 40% from downtown. I know stats don't always tell the whole story, but it certainly doesn't hurt to put up numbers like these.Like all aspiring hooper's, Deng Adele's goal is to one day play in the NBA. Whether he accomplish's that or not is anyone's guess, but you can't knock him for trying. Before that time comes however, he wants to play college ball in the States. He listed Duke, Kentucky, Michigan, Louisville, Kansas & UCLA as some schools he's interested in, but like I said before, no colleges even know he exists yet.If coaches & recruiters are smart, they'll pay this kid some attention, because 2 years from now they might be saying, "DENG IT", to the fact Deng Adel slipped through their fingers.